Thursday, April 11, 2013

13 Lessons in 13.1 Miles (part 2)

Part 1 of this "series" is here! Because post 1 was turning into an extremely long one I decided to break it into two posts.

5. Never underestimate the power of the starting line.  The closer the time got, the more nervous I was.  Why?  I had trained for this- however, the race was different than my training- and I think, deep down, I knew that.  The race was the real deal- that starting line was a difference maker.  I was going from a "runner" to a half marathoner with one step.  Everyone has a starting line for "something" in their life.  That start line is the beginning of their journey- thankfully I never had anyone telling me that I could not do it!
6. Water- the water stops were pivotal- just when I was regretting not having a water belt there it was- just in time to quench the thirst.  Even if I didn't think I NEEDED the water I took a cup anyway because I knew that I really did.  How much is that like our spiritual life- the water is being given to us- freely- it's up to us to drink of it.  But, it's just not important in the middle of the race- it's imperative before and after the race as well.
7. Enjoy the scenery- As I mentioned the other day- the signs were great but it was early morning and the weather was PERFECT.  Part of our run took us on a greenway and it was just beautiful out there.  Just another reminder to enjoy the surroundings.  Too often I want to look at my feet to make sure my stride is okay.  I need to trust my body to run correctly and not look down.  I want eyes that look ahead and see what is front of me.





8. Hills- oh those Hills.  There were 4 of them and they weren't fun.  One of them is a notorious one on the route and I ended buying a t-shirt that says It's not just a hill, it's a rite of passage.  LOL  It was a doozy (in my opinion) but I can say that I did them all.  Not all running, some of it was walking.  It really is a metaphor for life though- we have the hills- some will be steeper than others.  However, the only way to get better on the hills is to practice them- to deal with them- to face them head on and not shrink back in fear. (and for some those hills were no big deal)






and that is the end of post number 2- post number 3 will go up soon!



8 comments:

Bill (cycleguy) said...

Talk about hills! After living in two place that were flat as pancakes (total of 18 years), we moved here to Spencer. I don't think there is much of a flat place anywhere. But it opened up whole new challenges and a fresher outlook to cycling. So glad to hear your thoughts on your ride. As for the "seeing" part- good analogy. never look down. Always look up and around.

Tami Grandi said...

I know! That's why I need a flatter place next time- LOL. It wasn't my RIDE :) that's your domain! I try

Jamie said...

It's totally flat where I live and my friends and I seek out the biggest hills we can find to run repeats. If a race with hills comes along, we're ready(ish). :)

Bill (cycleguy) said...

yeah, after i went back to read it again I saw "ride" instead of "run." Chock it up to old age.

Kim @ Healthy Nest said...

Great point about enjoying the scenery and trusting your stride!! So easy to forget when you're distracted with trying to outrun everyone around you and not tripping on rocks. :)

Tami Grandi said...

Jamie- i checked out your blog and see you are in Ohio? My sister lives in central OH so I hear ya! You want to run hills Knoville is a great place ;)

Tami Grandi said...

Actually dad- I think it's just a foreshadowing of where your thoughts were!

Tami Grandi said...

Kim- LOL- tripping over rocks would not be fun :)